So you Wanna Write a Horror Screenplay

... but you don't know where to start.

Well, start here.

Updated 3/4/01

You might want to get Crescendo to hear what you're missing. (My life has a theme song.)

The purpose of this page is to help you write a horror screenplay without leaving your seat. (God knows you'd be much better off getting some exercise instead of sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, munching Doritos and Cheese Curls and downing Coke after Coke. Then beer after beer.) But, it's your life.

There's enough stuff on the Web to help you write your first script. And who knows. You may put a little jingle in your jeans. Then you can buy Cheese Curls by the case.

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  1. First, lets try to talk you out of it.
  2. Check out on-line courses.
  3. Read a few screenplays.
  4. See some movies.
  5. Pick an idea.
  6. Research.
  7. Write character biographies.
  8. Write an outline.
  9. Write your first draft.
  10. Rewrites.
  11. Polish.
  12. Give it to a friend to read.
  13. Write four more.
  14. Get an agent.
  15. Marketing.
  16. Take up painting.

1. First, let's try to talk you out of it.

It's a lot of work. A lot of folks subscribe to the belief that screen writing is the "lottery of the 90's." The truth is, the odds are against you selling your first screenplay. Your first couple, for that matter.

Here's what some pros have to say.

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2. Check out on-line courses.

If you've never put pen to paper, or if you're a little rusty, try an on-line class.

At least, learn the structure of the megahit movies. (You do wanna sell this thing, right?)
 

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3. Read a few screenplays.

Read as many screenplays as you can. I find reading current scripts a little more helpful since formatting has changed over the years. But it's still interesting to see how the format has developed.

Notice how scripts differ from novels. Three basic guidelines are:

There are many more but these will get you started.

This would also be a good time to join SCRNWRIT, the Screenwriter's Discussion List. Read the FAQ. It can serve as you r textbook in most cases. Then get on the list and ask a lot of questions. There's some knowledgeable people on this list.

More scripts can be found at these sites

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4. See some movies.

Since you picked a horror screen writing page, you probably like horror films. Here are some recommendations. Another wonderful list is "Horror in Film and Literature." Very nice folks, here. I have a theory that folks interested in horror films are unusually sensitive. The kindness of the folks on this list is proof.

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5. Pick an idea

You may not know a good idea from a bad idea. Nobody does until they try to flesh it out. A point to remember is that every movie has a theme. The theme of "Night of the Living Dead" is everybody dies. The film kept you interested because no other horror film wiped out the entire cast until NotLD was made. The good guy lived. Mothers lived. Good people lived. George Romero changed all that. The truth is everybody DOES die. So try to include a universal theme in your story and it'll be that much more richer and interesting.

Interesting ideas can be found on news sites, folklore/ghost-stories, urban legend sites, or see what kinda horror the folks on the Usenet news groups are talking about.

Or find your own through a search engine .

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6. Research

I've been able to do about 90% of my research online. A few good places to start your journey are:

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7. Write character biographies.

There's a great site called the Keirsey Temperament Sorter- Jungian Personality Test. Play around there to find realistic traits for the main characters of you script. Then sit down and write a stream of consciousness biography of each character. Have fun with it. Don't worry about spelling or grammar cause no one will ever see these pages.

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8. Write an outline.

This is also called a "beat sheet." Open with a "hook;" a scene that grabs the reader/audience. Here's the hook in "Blood Count," my last script. (And don't try anything funny. It's copyrighted. :))

Try to have a plot twist around page 25-30, and another around page 80. Use as many beats as you like. A friend of mine writes his outline in a text format. This is called a "treatment." Whatever works for you. But do something preliminary. It'll make the first draft that much easier.

(Update: Since I first wrote these guidelines, I've realized how indispensable a good outline is. And I now use those little 3X5 index cards that I initially "pooh-poohed."  I thought I was too high-tech to resort to cards and a pencil. I now spend 3 to 4 months per script working with those little cards and that pencil. Try it. It may cut your number of rewrites in half.

Another helpful technique is to write the outline backwards. Start with the last scene then work your way back. Many people feel the ending makes or breaks a story. By writing backwards, you have better chance of getting where you want to go cause you're starting there. That didn't make sense, but you know what I mean.)
 

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9. Write your first draft.

Have fun. Just "vomit on the page." You'll re-write most of it later anyway. Don't look back.

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10. Rewrites.

First, read the script from cover to cover. Just make mental notes of things to change. Next, I do a "macro" re-write. I change scenes, add and delete characters, change the theme. All the big stuff.

After the macro re-write, I do a "micro" re-write. I "verbalize" the script by reading it out loud. I change anything that sounds clumsy or unnatural. And that includes the action lines, too.

Repeat this process as often as you want. People take anywhere from a month to a year to write a script, generally.

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11. Polish.

Finally, you gotta say "this is it." Do a final polish, which means, hopefully, your playing with particular word combinations; not cutting whole scenes.

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12. Give it to a friend to read.

Somebody you trust. And someone interested in the genre. Some folks on the "Horror in Film and Literature." list are m ore than happy to review scripts.

It might also be a good idea at this point to copyright your screenplay. It costs $20 through the Library of Congress , but it's worth the peace of mind. You can still be ripped off, but ... well, see what the SCRNWRIT FAQ has to say about it.

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13. Write four more.

Sorry. Most people don't sell their first script. You hear about the folks who do because it's newsworthy. Check out the writer's guild page concerning sales.

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14. Get an agent.

Again, there are pros and cons to this topic, as you can see in the SCRNWRIT FAQ. There is an Agency Listing on the Web. I also recommend the Hollywood Creative Directory Online if you're serious.

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15. Marketing.

Ugh. I hate marketing. First, learn to write a query letter. Here's mine for "Blood Count." Just a short blurb that makes the producer want to read your script. Remember; don't send you're script to anyone who doesn't ask for it. It'll end up back in your mailbox unread. Another good use for the Hollywood Creative Directory Online.

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16. Take up painting.

Yeah, I'm a wise guy. What I mean is take a break. Forget about screen writing for a couple of days or a week or a month. Whatever. Then write another one.

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Talk to me at:
beres AT tcnj.edu